1966 Oldsmobile Toronado - Jay Leno's Garage
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 มี.ค. 2013
- 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. '66 was the best year... But like most Americans, it got older and fatter.
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1966 Oldsmobile Toronado - Jay Leno's Garage
• 1966 Oldsmobile Torona...
Jay Leno's Garage
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I don't know how many people think so, but I think this is one of the most beautiful American cars ever designed.
corvusala ...
The Toronado. Riviera. Eldo. Mark III. Mark IV. Mercury had many beautiful cars. Even Chrylser! There were so many it was mind boggling.
The 60s was truly the peak of automobile beauty. Nothing to this day can compete.
Possibly, but today's cars are so much better in every other way. I don't miss carbs or automatic chokes or dashboards that rattle or fenders and quarter panels that start rusting out after 3 years.
If you want to talk about the best American cars ever made I would bring up the 2010 Mustang Cobra or early 2000's Corvettes. If you're a truck person there has never been a better time than right now except for the prices.
Absolutely when I think of America I think of this car
One of the most beautiful cars ever made in my opinion.
Might be my favorite
In 1966 I was six years old and living in a modest Chicago suburb. Neighbors a few doors down, a beautiful couple, brought one of these home and pulled in, got out and stood back looking at their car. Everyone who was near stopped what they were doing and walked up to see. You should have heard that car laying the beef in park. I have been a fool for the car and truck world since then. You really need to put this side by side with its contemporaries to see what Olds really achieved. Thank you J.
This is a fantastic comment, really makes me imagine the scene and the effect the car had on you and others. Thanks.
God bless America
This was definitely a reminder of a more elegant car from a more civilized age. I'm a bit younger than you but, yes...living in the suburbs of ANY American city and hearing about someone in the neighborhood "bringing home a new car" was truly a civic and community event into the 70's and 80's. It wasn't so much about the car unless it was something special and or unusual like this Tornado or a Corvette...it could literally be ANY new car being brought home in the neighborhood. And it was a symbol of that family's success and it was a real celebration by the neighborhood of that success. We would have an impromptu, informal potluck right there on the sidewalk in front of the lucky family's house. The host would setup some tables and then piles of food would just show up from all corners of the block. The men would stand around with the hood open discussing the engine and transmission while the ladies would keep the food in order and the drinks cold with the occasional comment about "grocery capacity" of the trunk. Finally, the kids would be running around in the yard and taking turns sitting in all the seats or if it was a station wagon, we'd pile into the back with the rear facing "tail-gunner" seats. They were not always the best of times but, they were the only times we ever knew...
@@1969EType Amazing! In my youth I watched the slow transformation of households to two cars. Guess I was lower middle class...
I'm a retired automotive designer. I was in high school when the '66 Toronado came out, and it was one of the cars that inspired me to go into the field. Believe it or not, I was lucky enough to meet Jay Leno through a friend of his, and Jay gave me and another designer a tour of his car collection. I was really impressed with how knowledgeable he was, but most of all I was impressed at how down to earth he was.
Did you go to Vietnam?
You lived every car guys dream. He really is the real deal, right?
nofooIn Cool! What cars did you design?
One of the most perfect car designs ever.
We owned a 67 Toronado. It was a great car for a number of reasons. My favorite thing (because I was a little kid), was the button on the inside of the glove compartment that opened up the trunk. I LOVED to press that button.
I was 14 when this showed up on the streets. I thought it was amazing. I still love the way it looks.
I was 16 when these came around, my good friend 's dad bought a gold one like in this video, and an emerald green with beige vinlyl top for his mother, they owned the shrimp packaging plant in my hometown on the Texas gulf coast. These cars had a speedometer that registered to 150mph! We outran the state patrol all the way from Port Lavaca to Mustang Island in one, and slid onto the ferry that took people to Mustang Island from Port Aransas, we were already in the channel and saw the cops slide up to the gate unable to get to us. They came the next day to the house in Palacios and issued the ticket the next day. We would back up and shift it into forward and smoke the front tires for a block and a half. Friggin so powerful muscle cars back then. 455 motors were awesome!
Forest Gump really liked this car..
My mom had a white one in the early 70's in Corpus Christi. She said you could get it out on the interstate and said before you knew it, you were doing 100mph. A real smooth fast car.
Jay is soo lucky to be able to buy and restore all of these cars! I envy him and admire him because he´s still not bragging about it! Would love to meet him and to see all the fantastic cars!
I still remember being picked as one of the students in my fourth grade class to have breakfast with my teacher at the end of the 1965-66 school year. She and her fiance pulled up in my parents' driveway in his car -- a brand new dark red 1966 Olds Toronado! To me it was the closest thing to riding in a starship that I could have ever experienced! It looked like no car I had ever seen before. It had A/C, power windows, tilt and telescoping steering wheel -- stuff we take for granted now, but it felt like a ride in a limousine to 9-year-old me!
A friend's dad bought a new gold '66 Toronado: About the coolest car then thru now that I've ever seen.
Still fun to watch. My father in law was an engineer for Sag steering gear, him and 4 other guys did the testing on this car in the dead of winter into Michigans U.P. some crazy photos of 40 below and 8 ft drifts.
My brother had 1 of these ... I stold it as I did often..with my brother, and his cars. It was quite a surprise when I did a burnout and the right front tire started smoking...this was my introduction into front wheel drive...thank bro after all these years..
1966 was a great year for Olds, especially owing to the Toronado and the 442 W-30. Only 54 1966 W-30's were produced. Very rare today. Dave Smith, now deceased, was the W-30 project engineer for the W-30. A brilliant engineer.
How about a full video on this Toronado, Jay, it deserves it.
He doesn't want to get the blowback from nixing the original front wheel drive set-up and LS-ing it.
Owned one. Loved it. Best car ever.
@@pnotuner1 i get that, but he should. it took a lot of custom engineering to do that type of conversion. for the power-plant he wanted, just wasn't enough room for that and front wheel drive. this project is a bit odd for Jay, he usually favors a back to factory spec type resto. glad to see him thinking outside the box on this one.
Mr Grandfather owned a Studebaker, Mercedes-Benz dealership in St. Petersburg FL. Stewart Jones Motors. My Dad was Sales Manager and one of the things he would do was drive home different trade-ins, to help keep their batteries charged. My "role" was to wait for my Dad, to see what car came up our driveway. I would then sit in the driver's seat & study the car inside & out. Plus, I always read the Owners Manual. I was born in 1958, so my car education came during the 1960s, what ever Dad was driving home at the time. It provided a well rounded appreciation for different manufacturers makes & models. If he found a car he particularly enjoyed, he would repeatedly drive home the same car, until sold. One of the cars he liked was a 1966 Toronado also in the gold color. For a kid, one of the coolest features were the pop-up CORVETTE headlights, as I called them. I vividly remember riding up front with my Dad. (Also loved the flat floors.) When he turned on the lights, seeing the headlight doors popping up as viewed while inside the car, made me feel I was riding in a sports car. GM Design was so beautiful during the 60s. The 1966 Tornado is one of my fond automotive childhood memories. Takes Jay for bringing in the Designer, to educate us.
Kenneth Jones Was
Sad that Studebaker went out of business
My grandfather had a 66 toro and my dad drove it a few times. He loved it. My dad and his dad took it out a did 125 mph. It was a great Oldsmobile. The look is still there.
It was so exclusive it had its own dedicated assembly line for quality control. The second generation Toronado with all of their elegance and the emphasis on personal luxury, attracted many new buyers.
A mid 1960's car that sets the tone for car designs into the future.
Oh hey Leo neat seeing you here, I was watching your newest cat scuffle video earlier today.
Love the front end... a fantastic pedestrian killler. All that's missing are the rotating knives.
davidenespana Scoops up and throws aside bicycles as well!
the "rotating knives" were an option then; I guess you missed that. LOL.
How Ralph Nader of you to say.
One of my favorite cars from the 60s!
MY Dad had this car in 1966. I was 16 year old and was tasked (yuk yuk) with taking the Tornado to the car wash twice a week.... That car was amazing. The sheer force of front wheel drive and me pressing the accelerator to the floor was so exhilarating! Nothing on the road that was stock could keep up with it... What a car!
Jay....... Your show is just full of awesome! When you hugged him at the end... WOW!!
I dont know who was more excited, Him or you?
That is why you are cool in my world!
Thanks again.
In my area when I was a kid you never saw a Tbird or Caddy, so in 1967 someone move in down the street and had a new Toronado in a dark metallic brown and looked like a car from the future.
I remember the low stance and fender flairs plus the huge slotted rims that cooled the drum brakes that had to stop this beast.
It still looks like a car from the future!
One of my fav jaylenogarage videos, i love how the guy explained the car in detail including what was happening in the era
When this came out, it got the attention of everyone. It was akin to a space ship going down the street. A classmate's dad had one, and he was a 1960's Mr. Cool with the '66 Toronado.
My Dad had a white '67 Toro with red interior. That was such a cool and unique car!
Elimination of the hump was a big part of the design of this car. I had a stepfather who always drove Toros, and loved them. I learned a bit about them from him,was a fairly prestigious car in the early 70's to those who knew what they were. Back in the 60's Olds was GM's highest quality car after Cadillac, That the 2 marques shared a platform in the toro/eldo showed how important this design was to them.Both were good in snow and ice,something not mentioned.
I was five years old when my dad bought one new in 66 that was a twin to yours
. He had many over the years. He passed in 2010 but I have 66 and 67 that he found in the early 1970's. I think of him every time I drive one. Thank you for making me feel five years old again and best wishes on your recovery.
Beautiful car. I am so glad someone has kept one preserved so the public can have a look at it.
Great episode, and Kudos to Jay for doing such an incredible job hot rodding his own vehicle!
Yea Jay and TH-cam. So glad these interviews and car stories are available for the world to enjoy. I was a senior in high school when the Toronado came out and it seemed like Oldsmobile had joined the space age. I agree that the 66 was the best in styling, but the addition of disc brakes in 67 was an improvement.
In 66 Toronado and Riviera had more fluid styling than the boxy T-Bird, but they all would have been better if a foot shorter and 500 pounds lighter. 🙂
I was working at Oldsmobile when the Toronado came out. It was built next to the regular Olds assembly line. I remember it was so great in heavy snow. That front end was something with that mammoth v-8 engine in it.
Who remembers the cool fiberglass body motorhome built on this Toronado chassis? I can't remember the name but my ole childhood pal bought a used one of them the summer of 94 and took a fun full summer surf-safari trip with his new Brazilian wife and the kids driving from San Diego all up the coastline of PCH Rt 1 camping surfing having fun all along the coastal beaches ending up at Redwoods National Park. He always said that was the best trip and best time in his life and that that ole Toronado motorhome was a lot of fun to cruise and camp in and worked real well. 😎🐕
Growing up we had a white '68
Toronado with a vinyl black roof. Was one of the most powerful cars I ever drove. I was 11 when my dad bought it. I can remember not being able to jack it up initially to change tires. What a spaceship. Wish I still had today
Rolled this car on GranTourismo, PS4. Easy to toss in the corners with power. Excellent!!
My dad was a car nut, he bought the 1966 Toronado when first introduced. I was 17 years old, it was like a space ship to me. The most impressive thing was its size and long expansive hood.Being an incorrigible kid, one weekend when he was away on a business trip, (he foolishly left the keys in it), I decided to take it to the local drag strip. GOOD IDEA! |I dropped the exhaust pipes for better performance, but failed to reconnect them properly. It had a hissing noise when i took it home. Busted.
Was a real beast! I remember all the front-end alignment issues with it.
i can't belive that this desing went from the draw table straight to line production, pretty neat !!
My friend's dad drove us to see the Reds play a game at Riverfront stadium in his new Toronado. I think I was 14. I was impressed!
The only brand new car my Dad ever bought. but when he saw the '66 Toronado, he absolutely had to have one! Up until the day he died, he said it was his favorite car of all time! It was also fantastic in the snow when all other cars were rear wheel drive.
I didn't even know about this car up untill a week ago and started doing research on it, man it grew to my heart
I went to Junior high and elementary School virtually right next door to Fisher body and Oldsmobile on the west side of Lansing Michigan.
I remember this car coming out in 1966 and I thought it was the coolest thing I ever looked at and yep the first one I saw was exactly the same color as Jay painted his car very unique styling nothing ever was built like it.
My cousin had one of these 1966 Olds. Had a 455c.i. and it was pretty fast too. I dug the fact that because of the fwd transaxle there wasn't any driveline "hump" down the middle of the car.
wish I could see more of this car...ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
My high school buddy's Dad had this, same color. Was amazing.
My friends dad was an affluent local doctor and owned a 66 Toranado. One weekend when my buddy's mom and dad were out of town, we took a short cruse. It was really something to lay scratch with the front wheels!
Reminds me of the 66 Lincoln Continental. An instant classic, great lines, and a feeling of power.
Though I was never a big Oldsmobile guy the Toronado is truly beautiful.
The '66 Toronado excited nine-year old me when it was introduced, and it still excites me to this day, whenever I see photos or video of them. To me, the '66 Toronado, and the '67 Eldorado, were two of the best looking cars to date.
Hey Jay, Get well soon. You've been real good to all of us sharing your cars. Tom
My cousin had one of these. He let me drive it when it was almost new. What an awesome machine. I bought a new 87 and 90 in later years. Other than a BMW 735, the best cars I’ve ever known
Owned a 1980, beautiful , and also bought an 84! Loved them...
beautiful car! congratulations to jay leno for his fantastic car collection!
Great video and a beautiful piece of work! Cool to meet the designer too!
What a gorgeous machine.
My grandfather had one exactly like it when I was 7 yrs old. I thought it was weird looking back then. Still do!🤣
i LOVE That 66' Old's Jay has, That Sucker Has Some CRAZY POWER & I LOVE IT ... Your the Man Jay .........
Even though it is before my time I have always been intrigued with the 66 Toronado so I'm pleased to now that a number of others feel it was special too. In fact it is on Car and Drivers top 10 significant cars list due to its front wheel drive. I like the headlights, instrument package and just about everything about it. Great video.
One of my favorite car jokes that Jay might like was, a Kentuckian Toronado is a 1959 Oldsmobile with mud grips on the front. Many years later, in the late seventys, a coworker stopped by to visit me and told me how he loved the Honda civic he had owned for a few years. We went out to look at it and I noticed he had nearly worn out mud grips on the back wheels. He did not know that it was front wheel drive.
My father had one of these. They were the hot cars back then it was a 425 cubic inch motor with 385 brake horsepower and 485 ft lbs of torque but they weighed 4,322lbs
I haven't seen a lot toronado in the streets i wish more people would restore them they look ageless also we need a review on this car that we can watch on TH-cam 😸
Absolutely beautiful car, I have never seen one in person.
You Cant help but love this car.
My parents had a 67 Toronado when I was a baby…50+ years ago. I would love to have one.
I've always loved the 66-67 Tornado. There is a wealthy man that collects cars and runs a vintage car shop near where I live and he had a 66 in his collection that he later sold. Just a beautiful car, and I believe it was the same color as Jay's. Got to test drive it, but couldn't get them down to a price I could afford.
....I LOVE that car! ... Timeless classic..
Wow. If Jay calls you Dad, you are someone special to him. Nice car Dad.
My favorite car of all time. The Toronado. GM styling at its best. The 1966 is the best.
The issue with putting a 427 Chevrolet big block in one is that the TH425 transmission was only ever made for the Buick/Olds/Cadillac Bell-housings.This chassis was as-built was Front Wheel Drive, so you'd have to Convert it to RWD like Jay did with his...So if you convert it to RWD you can convert it to anything, but personally, I'd rebuild one as FWD and If I wanted something other than a 455 Olds I'd think about a 425 or 472 Cadillac engine, because a couple years later the Toronado was given a twin with the Cadillac Eldorado.Though not covered in this TH-cam the Toronado had a flat floor across the front (it was a selling point) so I'm Pretty sure some major modification was required to the floor-pan to make room for the RWD transmission and driveshaft. As well as some modification to the rear suspension to add a Rear driving axle.My uncle had one of these in the late sixties, he showed up one day and I remember wondering "Who the hell is that?" because he was not driving his very recognizable '58 Chevy
The 66-67 Toronado's had 425 CID engines.
Allan, all he needs is an adapter plate.
i like my 69 standard
My father had a 66 In this same gold color. Loved that car.
My very first car was an '84 Toronado. Even in the '80s (not a decade known for the greatness of American automobiles) it was a fantastic car. Comfortable, quiet, as fast as necessary, and, thanks to front-wheel drive, much less likely to end up upside-down in a ditch than most of its contemporaries. :)
One thing I really like about a lot of the cars you showcase are the memories they bring up from my childhood apart from the cars themselves. I used to see some of these cars as Hot Wheels. I onced owned Cadillac eldorado (Hot Wheel). I don't remember the year... somewhere between '68-'71, I think. It was one of my all-time favorite Hot Wheels. I loved it so much I contemplated trying to get one when I grew up. Never got it... But I did own a 1971 Mercury Cougar XR7 - with a 351 Cleveland under the hood. Largest engine Detroit ever put out (same as the 428), for private use. That would be a great car to show if you ever get the chance??? The Toronado reminds me of both those cars. - LOLOL LOLOL LOLOL !
When I was a teenager, I remember looking through a Oldsmobile show room window at a new Silver Toronado, a very innovated piece of engineering back then. I was sure it was front wheel drive, that made it a bit risky to buy a this full size car. From the side body lines, it reminds me of the Buick Riviera back then.
THE BEST SNOWMOBILE EVER MADE. With that 455ci boat anchor over the front wheels, it was BETTER in the snow than 4WD/AWD!!!!!
We lived in MI and that's the reason my dad bought 2 of em.
We had a 68 and a 71. One winter my Dad drove me through a snowstorm to my girlfriend's house. Smashed through drifts taller than the hood on the county road. (Got too bad to pick me up, had to spend the night. Darn...)
The '66 has a 425, not a 455, same in '67.
I’ve got an 85 Toronado. Guy I bought it from had mentioned he had owned one from each generation at one point or another. I’d love if I could manage to do the same some day lol
It's amazing how much you can learn in a month, Yesterday I started crawling xD You stay golden pony boy, you stay golden.
I have an all stock 1968 Oldsmobile 98. Man I love that car.
Love These Early Toronado's The Style is Beautiful, Love the lines.
We had a olive-silver ‘68. Great car for that time. Remember my dad telling that story about Unser racing Pikes Peak ha.
WOOOOW, I wanna here more about that awesome looking engine in that beast, & the interior....this was such a short review
My dad worked in GM's Advanced Styling (Preliminary Design) studio along with Bill Porter and others. I was told that he designed the preliminary concept for the Toronado by Bill Porter.
A kid at my school drive one of these it's pretty amazing
I rode in a deep burgundy 1977 Toronado XS with the white glove soft leather pillow top seats once back in the early 1980s.
One of the nicest riding, most comfortable cars, I have ever been in to this day.
Amazing episode. All the info I was wondering about.
My father bought one of the first Toronados in 1966. It was also finished in trumpet gold.
Imagine walking into an Oldsmobile showroom in 1966, and along with all the other plain Jane Oldsmobiles of the year, you see this badass machine.
Never been a fan of FWD, but Toronados were cool.
My grandfather, Chuck Mason, designed the rear end of the ‘66 toronado :)
I like David's stories.
Thanks Jay for another very cool video.
Looks like this Toronado actually makes Jay happy,and he appears to genuinely smile about it...
I recall a family friend, Silvia getting one, it was a hit with everybody in my neighborhood. But it was my grandfather that put me in it and took off to see what it would do. She had no idea how much less rubber the tires had when we cam back. Still makes me laugh.
Love it, Jay is the luckiest car guy in the whole world, my dream car is this 66 Toronado.
Dont ever stop making these videos Jay!
one of the most beautiful car designs---ever. i only wish you could show the four-door version, where the doors opened from the shaft in the middle, not from the body of the care in the back and front. it looks soooo unreal and magnificent.
A great classic, truly elegant and beautiful!
One of my favorite cars of all time!!!
When I was kid there was an old guy that collected these. He had like 23 of them in perfect condition, and a few more for parts. Since he died they have just been sitting in the garage.
One of my favorite cars of all time!
I can't believe that Olds & Pontiac are gone....great car....thanks Jay....respect to design
Dad bought a 67 new. Was fast and fun. 69 they didn't like. I put a gorgeous med metallic blue 66 in my collection in 82. Definitely a special car
I have always liked those old Toronado's, very cool.
There's nothing better than an absurd amount of power in a sleeper. Seen it before, but I still love that car!